Kenyan Petroleum Act

The Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act was last revised in 1986 and is the
fundamental law governing upstream activities in Kenya.[1] It states that all petroleum is vested in the government which is consistent with the 2010 Constitution.[2]

Under the Petroleum Act, the Minister of Energy has the power to divide potential areas for oil and gas findings into blocks.[5] The minister also dictates who may engage in petroleum operations.[6] Furthermore, the Petroleum Act permits the government to conduct petroleum operations either through an oil company established by the government for that purpose (such as the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK)) or through private contractors that are licensed by the government.[7]

Review of the Act

The new Energy Bill, which, as of November 2013, has still to be ratified by the Kenyan government, would revise the Petroleum Act of 1986.[8] On its homepage, the government states that it aims tp align the act with current international practice and that it is supported in its efforts by the African Development Bank and World Bank.[9]

Shortcomings of the Petroleum Act of 1986

According to a scoping study by Sustainable Integrity, the current Petroleum Act has several shortcomings. One critique, for instance, is that the act only recognises the owners of private land as entitled to natural resource wealth.[10] As pastoralists in Turkana County do not own the land, they are therefore excluded from compensation for damages caused by oil exploration.[11]